Designing women: nurturing the next generation of web developers

With 20 years of experience in information technology, Haleh Karimi knows firsthand what it means to be a woman in tech. Her knowledge of the industry has helped her shape the Dynamic Web Development Program at the Sullivan College of Technology and Design. As the program’s department chair for the past three years, she wants all of her students to succeed after graduation, but she is determined to help break down the barriers that have kept women in the minority in tech and tech-related careers.

“Only 28% of tech jobs are held by women,” she says. And that’s a statistic she wants to change.

In part, she says, there has been a consistent lack of support for women already in the industry, but adds that the problem starts long before that. Even with the emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)